# Incident 20120110001109I: Piper PA-28-140, Alma, GA, January 10, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 10, 2012, 10:45 local time
- Place: Alma, GA
- Airport: Bacon County
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 31.5361° N, 82.5066° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BACON COUNTY (AMG), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.5361&lon=-82.5066&mi=10
- Aircraft: N16472, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N16472-2017-10-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-140
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 28,000 total, 1,500 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120110001109I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

01-12-2012  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AN INSTRUCTOR PILOT (IP) WAS CONDUCTING FLIGHT INSTRUCTION WITH A STUDENT PILOT (SP). WHILE ON AN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 33 AT ALMA, GA (AMG - BACON COUNTY AIRPORT) THE IP OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT OF THE CENTERLINE. THE IP COMMENTED TO THE 3-HOUR SP TO MAKE A CORRECTION AS THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO DRIFT TO THE RIGHT AND THE STUDENT WAS AGAIN TOLD, BY THE IP TO MAKE A CORRECTION. AT THIS POINT, THE SP APPLIED LEFT RUDDER AS THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN.  THE AIRCRAFT TURNED APPROXIMATELY 30-40 DEGREES TO THE LEFT AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY, ONTO THE GRASS AND THEN ONTO A NEWLY CLEARED AREA.  THE CLEARED AREA WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 FEET LOWER THAN THE GRASS SURFACE AND HAD AN UNIMPROVED/UNLEVELED SURFACE WITH MIXED TREE LIMBS ANDBRANCHES. AS THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED ONTO THIS AREA, IT WAS IN A LEFT TURNING CONDITION WHERE THE LEFT WHEEL/STRUT HAD MORE COMPRESSION THAN THE RIGHT. APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET LATER, THE NOSE GEAR WHEEL BEARING/ASSEMBLY WAS TORN FROM THE STRUT AT THE POINT OF CONNECTION. THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT THEN DROPPED TO THE GROUND WHERE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO AN ABRUPT HALT AS THE NOSE GEAR STRUT, ENGINE COWLING AND PROP IMPACTED THE GROUND.LOGBOOKS/RECORDS HAD PROPER ENDORSEMENTS - ANNUAL & 100 HR INSPECTIONS WERE CONDUCTED ON 11/15/2011.THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AS THE FIREWALL WAS NOT DAMAGED AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED. THE PROP, ENGINE COWLING AND THE 2 FORWARD EXHAUST PIPES SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGED WHEN THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM THE STRUT. THE CREW OF 2 SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES, MOSTLY SORENESS DUE TO SEATBELTS COMPRESSION DURING THE ABRUPT STOP. IAW NTSB 830.2, THIS OCCURRENCE WOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS AN INCIDENT (MINOR INJURIES AND OTHER THAN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE). FAA FORM 8020-23 WILL BE COMPLETED. ANY ADDITIONAL FINDINGS THAT WOULD CHANGE STATUS OF THE MAINTENANCE DISPOSITION OF THE AIRCRAFT WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE ATLANTA-FSDO-11.01-13-2012 DURING A CONVERSATION WITH THE INSTRUCTOR 3 DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT, HE STATED THAT THE STUDENT PILOT (SP) WHOM HE WAS FLYING WITH ON THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT INFORMED HIM THAT HIS FOOT (WHILE WEARING A HEAVY DUTY BOOT) GOT CAUGHT IN BETWEEN THE LEFT RUDDER PEDAL AND THE LEFT SIDEBOARD OF THE AIRCRAFT. THIS EXPLAINED WHY THE RIGHT PEDAL INPUT, WHICH THE INSTRUCTOR HAD MADE, WAS INEFFECTIVE, AS THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROLS AT THE SCENE OF THE INCIDENT. A STATEMENT WILL BE OBTAINED FROM THE SP.A SIGNED STATEMENT WAS OBTAINED FROM THE STUDENT PILOT (SP) WHERE HIS LEFT FOOT SLIPPED OFF THE LEFT PEDAL AND WAS LODGED BETWEEN THE LEFT RUDDER PEDAL AND THE LEFT SIDEWALL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THIS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE IP'S FLIGHT CONTROL INPUT(S) TO BE EFFECTIVE AND THE SITUATION BECAME RECOVERABLE.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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